Postfeminist career retreatism among women leaders in the public sector

Ballantine, Joan, Sheerin, Corina and Lewis, Patricia (2026) Postfeminist career retreatism among women leaders in the public sector. Public Management Review. pp. 1-27. ISSN 1471-9037

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

We examine how postfeminism with its emphasis on individualism, empowerment and the assumption that equality is achieved, is implicated in how women leaders respond to a gendered work culture. Drawing on interviews with women leaders in the Northern Ireland public sector, and through thematic analysis, we demonstrate how they enact postfeminist norms, rejecting postfeminist career promises. We develop the notion of postfeminist career retreatism to encapsulate how despite experiences of a gendered culture, they locate the decision to retreat from their career within themselves. Consequently, external barriers to equality are translated into individual shortcomings, leaving the discriminatory status quo intact.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Women leaders; neoliberalism; postfeminism; postfeminist career retreatism; discriminatory status quo
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology > Leadership H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management > Human Resource Management > Leadership J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General) > Public Administration H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > Issues of Labour and Work > Classes of Labour > Women and Work
Divisions:	School of Business and Social Sciences > Staff Research and Publications
Depositing User:	Tamara Malone
Date Deposited:	31 Jan 2026 14:29
Last Modified:	19 Feb 2026 12:34
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/9114

Actions (login required)

View Item